How to Not Drown: and Other Things I Learned in My First Month at Film School

I have officially been in Film School for One Whole Month! Yippee!!! In celebration of this considerably insignificant milestone, I believe a bit of reflection is in order.

After one month I can say with absolute and complete certainty that… I was not expecting to learn as much as I have in the last four weeks. In August, I was all like, “Okay Film School, how about you put me in a pool of like-minded, similarly aged, consorts of cinema and I’ll try to get everything done by deadline. Capeesh.” Convinced I knew a lot and was excited to learn some more.

Haha… haha… I had no idea what I was thinking.

I am now convinced I know nothing, and am making small yet grievous errors frequently. (I am a perfectionist so every small error is a grievous error.) The hands on set classes are obviously interesting, but the classes behind the desk are the ones I feel like I am currently getting the most out of. Along with the heavy amount of “Book Learning” I have been doing, I have also absorbed some very helpful “set smart” lessons I wish I had been told right off the bat. Considering you’d probably rather hear advice about the actual art of making films, as opposed to an in depth commentary on the difference between plot and story, I figure I’ll start with some guidance I wish I had obtained prior to my first film project.

First thing I learned: So far in my scholastic life/journey, I have managed to get by with a healthy dose of procrastination. Not a ridiculous amount, just a healthy dose. A piece of advice to anyone with half a brain in film school. The SECOND you leave class after receiving a new assignment, you should be coming up with as many working ideas as your mind can dish out. Once you have decided on the idea that sucks the least, then you should move forward into production planning or pre-production. Have a set shooting date, and contact your actors within the first few days. As much fun as filming and editing is the day before an assignment is due, it actually isn’t fun at all. It is a lot closer to what I imagine the experience of drowning would be like. Drowning with the working knowledge that once you finally extricate yourself from this horrible riptide you got yourself in, your project will still be poop in comparison to the rest of your classmates work when “sharing time” comes around.

Now, I don’t want to say that I am speaking from experience already. However, I will say that last wednesday really sucked, and you can draw your own conclusions.

Second thing: Be super open to acting in other people’s projects. Pay special attention to the people in your class who are interesting or attractive or would be really helpful to use later in one of your own films. The old “you act in my film, I’ll act in yours” saying comes heavily into play here. Rarely will people second guess your ulterior motives, because they are too relieved to have someone offer to work in their film for free.

Third thing: Bring your actors a snack. I wasn’t fore-thinking enough to do this, but a set I was acting on had doughnuts. I am considerably sure that was the happiest I have ever been in my life. However I do have a mild “exaggeration” tendency, so you should take that last sentence with a grain of salt.

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